The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

Loading ...

Loading ...

This story appears in the {{article.article.magazine.pretty_date}} issue of {{article.article.magazine.pubName}}. Subscribe

photo courtesy of E!Online

These days, I read the news and I want for many things that would improve the world. I want international intervention in Syria to stop the regime's massacre of innocent citizens. I want the American people to rise up and refuse to elect or reelect politicians who speak hatefully of women and try to limit their freedoms. And right now, I want Jon Hamm to not apologize to Kim Kardashian for telling Elle UK that she is a "f--ing idiot."

Hamm hasn't given any indication he will apologize, but now that Kardashian has responded to his insult on Twitter, isn't that the inevitable next step in the world of celeb-relations? Kim tweeted that "Calling someone who runs their own businesses, is a part of a successful TV show, produces, writes, designs, and creates, “stupid,” is in my opinion careless." Mean, sure. But careless? No-ooh.

Stupid is a general term, and Kim K certainly falls within its perameters. Yes, she's a skilled businesswoman, and that takes brains. I like that she's a sistah doin' it for herself, in terms of making dough. But in the insipid and vast cultural war on women's psyches, wherein the weapons are vanity and insecurity and the enemy shape-shifts from the cosmetics companies to Rush Limbaugh to everyone in between who stands to gain from keeping women so distracted by their "need" to clean house, trim waist and lengthen lashes that they don't challenge their status as second class citizens, Kim Kardashian is the stupid puppet warlord.

Follow her on twitter as I do -- and why wouldn't I? I follow Michelle Obama and Nancy Pelosi, ie. the other women of major influence in America -- and you are treated to the surreality of a 30 year-old woman bombarding millions with an eye-stinging flurry of self-portraits. (My favorite ones are the super-sexy and posed ones accompanied by a faux self-deprecrating caption like 'Sweatpants, hair tie chillin with no makeup on (sic, obviously).') Her vanity and narcissism are dizzying, and if she were an average Jane it would just be annoying and mean that she had no female friends. But as she is a woman with incredible reach and influence, her obsessive attention to her looks is just stupid. Yeah, stupid. Because you have to be dense to be a female celebrity with as much influence as Kim K and not take advantage of the opportunity to do some good, rather than relentlessly promote vanity and superficiality, and your family companies that feed off them. This is my rallying cry for celebrities: You have the power to do good. Do it. Speak up for causes that matter. For instance, Kim K, you could educate yourself about issues young women around the world -- your fans -- struggle with, like poverty and hunger, access to education, access to health care, and instead of say, 16 tweets a day, 4 of which are self-portraits, 4 of which promote Kardashian brands, throw in some links to informative articles and relevant non-profit organizations.

Rather than continue to teach women by example that their relevancy and power comes from how they look, Kardashian could flip the script and be a beauty icon who's about more. Otherwise, as it does when this torrent of self-portraits, surreally mundane observations (please, just read the tweet about olives and you'll thank me) and self-promotion continues unabated, she comes across as vapid, as self-serving, and as stupid. And therefore, you were right, Jon Hamm, and you should be proud for calling her out, not, I hope, apologetic.